The day book. (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, January 05, 1915, LAST EDITION, Image 11

Image and text provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

pSSgSgSBjiTOjSJUDGE GOODNOW GIVES HIS OPINION ON THE QUESTIONTHERE A SOLUTION TO PROBLEM OF PROSTITUTION?""ISBy Jane WhitakerI asked Judge C. N. Goodnow,who presides over the morals court,if he believed there was any adequate solution to the prostitutionproblem.Day after day girls come into themorals court who have been 'pickedup on the street for soliciting. It isa very common occurrence to findthat the girl who is being sentencedto pay a fine today paid one a weekago and a few weeks before that.It is a very common thing to TiearJudge Goodnow say to these girls:"You have been here before. Thelast time you were before me youpromised if I would give you achance you would not be back againand yet you are here once more."And when I asked Judge Goodnowif he thought there was an adequatesolution he looked very thoughtful."I do not know whether there isany solution for it," he said. "Wehave to go out and earn a living atleast a basis of a vocational trainingthat will enable them to live decently."There are lots of things thatmight be done to alter- the situation,but we do not know whether theywould ohange it until we try themout. They are only guesswork andwe are like drowning sailors graspingat every straw to try to relieve conditions and change the situation."We hops, so far as we are able tosee, that the shelter plan will helpsome. At least, if we get a sheltersociety will have redeemed itself partially by giving these people an avocation which they did not and couldnot get before by reason of economicconditions."When you realize that 46 per centof our pupils inhe schools quit atthe sixth grade and about 49 per centiat the eighth grade, that a greatmass of them leave school at the ageof 14, and when you realize that themany centuries and havent reacheda conclusion yet."To me it seems a matter of education and moral training largely.We will have to do away with thedouble moral standard, and the women of this country can do a wholelot toward that if they will refuse torecognize the man as they do thewoman."Then we will have to teach ouryoung men more chivalry towardwoman, to view her in a differentlight from what he does. Change thegolden rule so that every man willhavevit deeply engraved on his heartthat he should do by every womanas he would have his mother, sisteror daughter done by."We will have to also change certain economic conditions and providean opportunity for people to earn aliving who wish to do so."We will have to change ourschool system by some method thathave had to deal with the problem for J bulk of the girls who come in here,at least those that we have been ableto get any history on at all, are girlswho left school at 14 and are girlswho never got beyond the grammarschool, you can begin to realize thatthere Is something radically wrongwith the educational system that permits these girls to go out at 14 tocompete with the better-equipped individual and have no avocation inlife they can follow, nothing theycan do and then expect them to succeed. The great wonder to me isthat more of them do not go wrong."We are just living in hope that wecan do something to relieve. Theremust be a tremendous change in theteaching of morality in the home.There should also be a tremendously larger amount of chaperonage,because my experience has taughtme upon Investigation in the court ofdomestic relations that morel girlswere ruined in their own home because of lack of chaperonage than insuuuui sysieui uy suuie uieuiuu iimi I cause ui uiuk. uiwill give to the boy and -girl that 1 any other way.liftSrtitojfciiiALi - -